Judges 20:1

Judges 20:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer–sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.
• New International Version (NIV)Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah.

Context of Judges 20:1

Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. The entire community assembled in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah. 2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God. 3(Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened.

Judges 20:1 word by word

וַיֵּצְאוּ֮ כָּל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַתִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעֵדָ֜ה כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֗ד לְמִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וְאֶ֖רֶץ הַגִּלְעָ֑ד אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then all the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• and the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
• was gathered togetherקָהַלqâhal · to gatherH6950
• as oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• from Danדָּןdân · DanH1835
• even to Beer–shebaבְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַעbe'êr sheba‛ · BeershebaH884
• with the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Gileadגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · GileadH1568
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in Mizpehמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709

Cross-references for Judges 20:1

• Judges 20:2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God.
• Judges 21:5Then they said, “Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we held our assembly in the presence of the Lord?” At that time they had taken a solemn oath in the Lord’s presence, vowing that anyone who refused to come would be put to death.
• Deuteronomy 13:12“When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you may hear
• Joshua 22:12So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.
• 1 Samuel 11:7He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one.
• 2 Samuel 19:14Then Amasa convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, “Return to us, and bring back all who are with you.”
• Ezra 3:1In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose.
• Nehemiah 8:1all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.
• Judges 18:29They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish.
• 1 Samuel 3:20And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.
• 2 Samuel 3:10I’m going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.”
• 2 Samuel 24:2So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”
• 1 Chronicles 21:2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.”
• 2 Chronicles 30:5So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law.
• Numbers 32:1The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,
• Joshua 17:1The next allotment of land was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph’s older son. Makir, the firstborn son of Manasseh, was the father of Gilead. Because his descendants were experienced soldiers, the regions of Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan had already been given to them.

Commentaries on Judges 20:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Unto the Lord in Mizpeh - This city was situated on the confines of Judah and Benjamin, and is sometimes attributed to the one, sometimes to the other. It seems that there was a place here in which the Lord was consulted, as well as at Shiloh; in 1 Maccabees 3:46, we read, In Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. These two passages cast light on each other. Some think that Shiloh is meant, because the ark was there; but the phrase…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The “congregation” is the technical term for the whole community of the Israelite people. Its occurrence here is an indication of the early date of these transactions. From Dan to Beer-sheba - We cannot safely infer from this expression that the settlement of Dan, recorded in Judges 21:8, Judges 21:10. Unto the Lord in Mizpeh - The phrase “unto the Lord”, implies the presence of the tabernacle (Judges 11:11 note). Mizpeh in Benjamin Joshua 18:26, from its…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated. --The Israelites' abhorrence of the crime committed at Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1This Mizpah was not the one east of the Jordan linked to Jephthah (Judges 10:17; 11:11, 29, 34). It was a place in central Israel. The name means “watchtower.”Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-71-2. all ... the congregation was gathered as one man--In consequence of the immense sensation the horrid tragedy of Gibeah had produced, a national assembly was convened, at which "the chief of all the people" from all parts of the land, including the eastern tribes, appeared as delegates. Mizpeh--the place of convention (for there were other Mizpehs), was in a town situated on the confines of Judah and Benjamin (Jos 15:38; 18:26). Assemblies were…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 20:1

• Beer-Sheba
• Dan
• Mizpah

In the dictionaries

• Dan
• Gilead
• Israel
• Sheba
• Children of Israel
• Beersheba
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Gibeah
• Glean

Commentaries on Judges 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary